Will He Remember Me?
by bloodyblond
Summary: Peter and Charlotte find themselves mystified by a strange vampire who shares the last name of their absentee maker. Bella Whitlock hasn't forgotten her husband, not after the blows life has given her, not even through the pain of her change. But what if the only man she has ever loved, has forgotten her?
1. Part 1

Something was up.

Now, Peter's gift wasn't necessarily as_, _for lack of a better word, _accessible_ as his absentee maker, but it happened enough times and, more importantly, was _correct _enough times for him to know that when those voices started whispering in the back of his head, he damn well better pay attention.

He knew he had been vague with Char when he attempted to sneak out of the house that late afternoon, but he couldn't exactly tell her something he didn't even know himself.

The little that he did know had him standing in the currently empty, poorly lit parking lot of a rundown, but still operational, gas station. It sat across from an equally seedy motel just on the outskirts of the town he and his mate had occupied for the last five years.

While it probably would have made more sense to be over at the motel attempting to blend in to what looked and sounded like a raging party, instead of lurking in the shadows like some of the rapists he frequently hunted, that something niggling in the back of his head told him to stay right there.

It was another ten minutes before he knew why.

The truck that pulled up at the self-service gas pumps looked pretty ordinary at first glance. Plain black, Houston plates, two doored and dusty from what appeared to be a long travel. What caught Peter's attention was the woman inside of the truck. She was silent. There was no heartbeat to add to the single one, of what he assumed was the clerk, pumping steadily in the confines of the store. So that could only mean one thing. Vampire.

She must have sensed him as well, because she tensed slightly in the cab, the pale hand that had been reaching for the door handle hesitated before completing its task and popping it open. She slid from her seat before slamming the door behind her. She ran a hand through her waist-length mahogany hair before raising both arms above her head in an unnecessary show of 'stretching her muscles.' Peter wondered if she was testing him by playing human.

His eyesight was nothing to scoff at, but he was able to get a better look at her when she stepped into the dim, flickering lamplight that surrounded the pumps. She was quite beautiful, he noted.

Her thin, well proportioned frame was dressed casually in a tight, distressed brown leather jacket, faded jeans and brown cowboy boots as worn as her jacket. Her heart-shaped face was the obvious pale pallor of all vampires, but framed by her dark, slightly wavy hair made it look like the finest of porcelain. Her plump lips were stained a dusty rose and sat beneath a delicately tapered nose. Finely shaped eyebrows and thick sooty lashes framed eyes that were a bright, beautiful shade of...

'_Gol__d?' _

**-oo-**

_***RING***_

Peter jumped, torn from the observation of the unknown vampire and the startling realization that she was a _vegetarian_ and quickly dug his cell phone out of his front pocket.

'_Well if there was any doubt to whether or not she knew I was here...' _Her potential obliviousness wasn't that hard to consider, Peter had met a lot of... numb vampires in his time. But considering the way she had smirked in his direction before turning back to her task was proof enough that she was anything but that.

He sighed loudly and pressed the connect button. "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you, Peter Whitlock?! You've been gone for hours!" His mate Charlotte shrilled.

The woman's head whipped around as soon as his name passed through Charlotte's lips and locked eyes with him. Peter may not have been an empath like his maker, but there was no way he couldn't see the desperate, disbelieving hope in her glistening, golden eyes.

"I'll explain it later, Char," he blurted out briefly, before ending the call.

The woman took a hesitant step in his direction, but it seemed to Peter like she was holding herself back. He weighed his options. The voices may have stopped whispering, but he knew this woman was the reason he was supposed to be here. He stepped out of the shadows and made his way towards her, trying his best to keep his gait casual. He was less than a foot from her when she finally spoke.

"Whitlock?" She questioned in a soft southern twang.

Peter froze. Despite not hearing it often in the last 60 years, he recognized the accent.

"I knew a Whitlock once," she continued.

'_It's not possible,' _Peter thought. "Who are you?" He had never been one for beating around the bush.

She smiled sadly. "My name is Bella. Bella Whitlock."

**-oo-**

Despite his wariness, Peter accepted a ride home from the strange vampire. He had agreed to listen to her story, but only in the presence of his mate.

Disbelief was the foremost emotion running through his head, causing his thoughts to jumble madly and forcing his mouth closed. He occasionally broke the tense, awkward silence to give directions to his house.

It was only after they arrived and Charlotte burst out the door cursing, that Peter realized he hadn't given a single thought to calling and giving her a heads up. '_Shit_.'

So caught up in chewing him out, it wasn't until Bella had slid from the truck and made her way to Peter's side that Charlotte stopped and realized that there was another vampire in their presence.

She turned accusing eyes to Peter. "Who's she?" She demanded.

An amused grin tugged at his lips. "Not what you're thinking babe, that's for sure." When he failed to offer an explanation and the strangely shy woman made no attempt to introduce herself, Charlotte began tapping her foot in irritation.

"Well?" She huffed.

"You won't believe me if I told you, Char. I barely believe it myself." He reached out and laced his fingers with Charlotte and began tugging her towards the house. Nodding his head towards Bella in a 'follow me' motion, he met the questioning gaze of his mate. "Just trust me when I say that she needs to tell you herself."

**-oo-**

Introductions were quickly made, Bella's last name disconcerting Charlotte as much as it had Peter earlier. They both plopped heavily down on the couch opposite the plush, slightly worn chair his stunned mate had motioned for Bella to take a seat in.

They watched as she took a few minutes to seemingly gather her thoughts. "I grew up with him you know?" She blurted suddenly.

Although Peter and Charlotte didn't need really need the clarification, she provided it anyways with a sheepish smile. "Jasper, obviously. Our parents were best friends, so it only made sense that their children were as well. The Whitlock's had two other daughters as well, Annie and May, but Jasper was closer to my age and considering I was a bit of a tomboy, we just... clicked." She chuckled lightly. "It also didn't hurt that Jasper was the cutest boy I had ever seen."

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Charlotte's eyes soften as she shared a smile with the reminiscing girl across from them.

"By fourteen we were, as Jasper liked to say, courting, which softened the blow when my parents died a year later from a home invasion that took a very nasty turn." A touch of guilt entered her golden eyes and she turned her head away. "I was out late that night, with Jasper. I remember thinking that the worst thing that could have happened that night as I climbed back through the window I had left open, was if my parents had caught me." A sheen of tears glistened in her eyes when she turned back to them, "I was wrong."

"Oh, honey," Charlotte murmured. From the slight twitch in her arms, Peter could tell she was resisting the urge to cross the room and pull Bella into a tight embrace. Almost as if sensing her desire, Bella offered the other woman a small, grateful smile, allowing the warmth she exuded to give her the strength to continue with her story.

"I had no close relatives, save for a supposedly nomadic uncle I barely knew but thankfully, the Whitlock's didn't hesitate to take me in. I admit that for awhile, I almost lost myself and if it wasn't for Jasper, I probably would have. It took months for me to feel like myself again, and Jasper was always there to coax a smile or a laugh out of me. If I hadn't already known it before, by the end of that year, I knew for certain he was the only man for me, the only man that I would ever love." She lowered her head with a shy smile. "He made that even more certain when he proposed to me. I didn't hesitate to say yes."

Peter watched as she became lost in her memories, noting the various emotions that filtered across her face, mostly those of contentment, before being overcome by a dark look as she snapped back to the present.

"We were only married briefly; before Jasper felt the 'calling' of War," Bella practically spat the last few words.

Peter nodded to himself absently. It sounded like something his maker would say. He clearly remembered Jasper referring to certain things calling to him in the past, usually blood, battle or a combination of the both. And many years later, when he started to grow discontent with his surroundings, another life.

"I tried to be supportive, be the good wife. If I was completely honest with myself, his announcement didn't really surprise me. When we were children, his favorite games usually revolved around war, Cowboys and Indians and things of the like, anything where he got to be the hero. And when he got the chance to do it for real, well, there was really no talking him out of it. After a while, I just stopped trying and two months later, he was leaving to join the Confederate Army."

Peter, entranced by this rare behind the curtain look he was getting of his, often times, elusive makers human life, leaned forward slightly. "Was that the last you saw of him?"

Bella shook her head. "Thankfully, no. Not yet, at least. For the first year, we kept in contact mostly through letters. He was working his way quickly through the ranks, thanks in large part to the beguiling charisma he had possessed since he was a child. But he never hesitated to faithfully send a letter every month to me and his family. He was granted a short leave the following year, just in time for his nineteenth birthday and arrived home with the news that he was being considered for the rank of Major. We celebrated for that entire week he was home. I don't think I let him out of my sight for a single minute, certain that if I turned away from him, he'd turn out to be nothing more than a dream."

Bella began gnawing lightly on her bottom lip. "When it came time for him to leave, I almost begged him to stay and a part of me will forever regret not doing it, because that was the last time I saw him. I received one final letter from him, telling me he had made Major... and then nothing. For two whole months. Nothing." She stopped and her entire posture sagged in defeat. "The next time I saw a Confederate uniform, it was worn by the two officers who told me my husband was dead."

Peter watched as Charlotte moved from her place beside him and quickly evaded Bella's personal space to envelop her in a fierce hug. He was surprised she had even resisted this long. Though she didn't get to show it around many others, his mate could be an incredibly compassionate woman. It had been her who had made the decision that they would only feed on the dregs of society.

He noticed Bella flinched slightly when Charlotte first touched her, before sinking, almost with a hint of desperation, into her embrace. Peter had the feeling she'd been deprived of any sort of affection for a very long time. This observation almost made him reluctant to ask his next question, effectively breaking the embrace, but he could feel a niggling curiosity clawing at him. He needed to know more.

Unaware of the gentlest way to break the hug, he settled for coughing as casually as he could. Guilt immediately flared up when Bella snatched back from the hug as if she had been burnt. Contriteness colored her features and she sent an apologetic look to a crestfallen Charlotte, who had taken her place back beside Peter.

"Sorry," Peter offered meekly. Bella flashed him a small smile in response, while Charlotte lightly patted his hand. His guilt and embarrassment, only slightly dissuaded, caused him to stumble over his next question. "Did you.. were you... when did you get turned?" Turnings had always held a gruesome fascination for Peter and he usually never hesitated to ask every vampire he had met to share their own. Charlotte, who had been greatly disturbed by her own brutal turning, had never really understood this 'hobby' of his.

He was slightly taken aback when she chortled morbidly. "I really do have the worst case of luck when it comes to the people I care about. Ever hear the saying 'bad things come in threes'? Two months later, the Whitlock family farm burnt to the ground, with the entire Whitlock family trapped inside."

Charlotte gasped, slapping a hand to her mouth in horror. "And you weren't...?"

Bella's delicate features were marred by an ugly sneer. "Little ol' Bella Swan manages to escape death once again," she rasped mockingly. Her face evened out and her tone softened. "Despite their offers to move in with them, I couldn't leave the house Jasper and I shared... The sheets still smelled like him," she finished in a whisper.

A lengthy pause commenced as Bella inhaled loudly and unnecessarily. When she began talking again, the whisper like tone remained. "I had lost everything, my husband; my families and quite rapidly, my sanity as well. My head constantly teased me with whispers that Jasper was still out there somewhere alive. I was so close to giving up at that point, there was only one thing that kept me going."

Peter blanched as he watched Bella's hand drift unconsciously to her stomach. _'Oh god...'_ He thought hysterically, a part of him clamouring to stop her from finishing her story. A quick glance to the side had him meeting Charlotte's eyes, the dread in them making it all too clear that she was just as aware of the direction this story was taking, but knowing it was too late to stop it.

"I awoke one night after a horrible nightmare; Jasper was calling to me, saying he was lost, begging me to come find him. In a moment of desperation, I simply ran. Whether I was running away from him, or towards him, I don't know for certain. All I know is that I didn't make it far, the vampire that I accidentally stumbled upon saw to that.

"His sloppy drinking made it obvious that he had no intention to turn me. But apparently, in his thirst, he could not control the venom he produced allowing enough to enter my system and begin the change. When I awoke, I realized I had managed to cheat death once again." Her eyes dulled and her tone deadened as the hand that had been cradling her stomach fell limply to her side. "Our child, however, wasn't so lucky."

**-oo-**

Stunned silence.

Bella had continued with the rest of her story, flatly retelling her vampiric years, unaware that he and Charlotte had stopped listening ages ago.

Peter didn't know if it was possible for vampires to be sick, but he couldn't deny that he felt his stomach churn violently when Bella reached the conclusion of her turning. Though he had braced himself for it, nothing could prepare himself to actually hear the words fall from her mouth.

His thoughts were all over the place. _'Jasper had... they were... She was pregnant..'_

Next to him, Charlotte was shaking in violent, harsh sobs. "I am so.. oh god.. you must.." At a loss for words, she managed to choke out, "I am so sorry," as Peter placed a trembling arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

Soul crushing agony flitted briefly over her face, before settling into the stoic mask she had kept on throughout most of her story. "It's alright. I came to terms with it a long time ago."

'_Liar,'_ Peter thought harshly.

"How... how did you remember so much about your human life?" Charlotte whispered hesitantly from her place still buried in Peter's shoulder. "I barely remembered a thing, other than my name and those of my parents."

Bella shrugged, "I honestly don't know." She hesitated briefly as she considered it more closely. "I think it was desperation."

At Charlotte's confused look, Bella felt the need to clarify.

"After they told me Jasper was gone, my memories were all I really had. I guarded them fiercely." A brittle grin stretched her lips. "Even in death."

**-oo-**

After her story, Peter felt it was his duty to share Jasper's, what he knew of it at least. He found himself wincing as he recounted the harshness of the Southern Wars and his witness to the brutality Jasper had been forced to show to appease his vicious master Maria.

Bella had remained silent throughout his entire story; the only tell to her emotions were the kaleidoscope effect they seemed to have on her eyes. Darkening, lightening, occasionally swirling. Peter found himself off-handily noting she had a hell of a poker face. She had only spoke briefly when he paused after he had shared the details about the Southern Wars and the large part, Jasper had played in it, albeit reluctantly at times. "Are you disgusted?" He had asked hesitantly. His loyalty to his maker had defensive retorts on the tip of his tongue, had she admitted she was.

"Disgusted?" She had questioned instead. "Of Jasper. Never." And that was it.

He continued with finding his mate, sharing a soft, loving look with Charlotte, their escape, and their eventual return for Jasper. How he spent another ten years with them, before going off on his own.

Guiltily, Peter found himself skimming over the next part. "He eventually found a home with a group of; I call 'em Veggie Vamps," a pointed look at her golden eyes, "something I'm guessing you're familiar with?" She gave a solemn nod. "And he's been living with them for over 50 years."

He found himself unnecessarily holding his breath, hoping that she would question his shoddily put together explanation of the last half century of Jasper's life and his obvious exclusion of certain facts and terribly worried about what he would tell her if she did.

Instead, she surprised and, he was guilty to even admit it, relieved him by simply nodding at the end of it, before closing her eyes and going completely still.

When he realized that she appeared to be working through some sort of plan, he sat in silence, ignoring the harsh glare Charlotte was throwing his way.

Bella came back to herself with another nod and opened her eyes. "I realize we've only just met, but I wish to ask some favors of you."

"Anything," Charlotte replied firmly, while Peter nodded in agreement. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask anyways.

She lowered her head and looked at the two through her lashes, "Do you promise?"

Feeling strangely apprehensive, Peter fought the urge to frown. He kept his answer brief instead, "Yes."

Bella offered a small smile in return. "I assume you know where Jasper lives?"

Peter nodded, "Of course."

"Will you take me to him?"

Peter paused as he considered his answer. He wasn't going to say no, he just wasn't sure how to go about doing it. It had never been a good idea to spring things on the Major unawares and he and Char had only met the Cullen's once and none of them seemed too fond of their 'lifestyle.' It'd probably be best to get it over with as soon as possible. Quickly outlining a plan in his head, he nodded firmly. "We can leave at dawn. It'll be easier if we run, we'll cover more ground that way..." he hesitated briefly, "...we'll have to tell them we're coming though."

The grateful smile that stretched Bella's lips could have lit up the sky. "Thank you so much..." It was her turn to hesitate, "but could you... could you not tell any of them who I am? Not even Jasper. I don't... I can't..." She frowned helplessly. "This is something that should be told in person. Does that make sense?"

Charlotte moved to her side and wrapped her arms around her in a firm hug. "Of course it does, honey. This is your story to tell."

"Thank you, again." She withdrew herself from Charlotte's embrace and stood. "I'll just go grab a few things from my truck."

"Wait," Peter called when she was halfway out the door. "You said _favors_. What are the others?"

The light in her eyes dimmed slightly as her lips tilted in a wry grin. "To be determined." She offered, shutting the door behind her.

The apprehensive feeling in Peter's gut was back.

Attempting to shake it off, he stood, going over in his head exactly what he planned on telling Jasper and the rest of the Cullen's. As he left the room to make the phone call, Peter met Charlotte's accusing gaze and shook his head sadly. He knew he had skimmed over the truth about Jasper, but he couldn't tell her. Tell her that her husband had married someone else, or that in all the years he had known him, he hadn't mentioned anyone named Isabella. Not once. The man she still remembered, even through the tortuous pain of her turning, seemed to have forgotten her.

He didn't know which part would hurt her more.


	2. Part 2

Just outside Forks limit, with his thoughts in turmoil, Peter came to an abrupt halt. Charlotte threw him a dirty look when she had to dig her heels firmly in the moist ground to stop from slamming into his back, but he ignored it. He just couldn't keep the secret from Bella any longer and felt almost cruel for trying to in the first place. But he needed to let her know gently.

Bella, who had gotten slightly ahead of them and had gradually slowed when she realized they were no longer following her, stilled completely and turned.

"What is it?" She asked softly, taking in Peter's apprehensive gaze.

'_Gently,'_ Peter reminded himself.

"Jasper's married," he blurted out, then promptly cringed.

'_Smooth. Very Smooth.' _

Bella grinned wryly. "I figured. You're not as good at skating over the truth as you think you are." She returned her pensive gaze to the forest, unknowingly in the direction of the Cullen's palatial home. "An amazing man like Jasper, what woman wouldn't snatch that up as quick as she could?" She murmured.

Given the tense set of her shoulders, she appeared to be struggling with herself, but her voice was firm when she spoke. "I still want to see him. I need to see if... I need to see him."

Peter reluctantly nodded and the three continued running.

His thoughts whirled as they drew closer. While the voices seemed to have stopped completely since the moment Bella stepped out of the truck, there was no stopping the dread that still tickled at the back of his mind.

For the first time since his gift manifested, he prayed that whatever he was feeling was wrong.

**-oo-**

Peter wondered if it was merely a coincidence that Jasper had been the one to open the door. He highly doubted it. It was obviously an attempt to pacify and control what the Cullen's believed were his bloodthirsty creations. He wondered if his maker had even tried to allay their fears.

The look on Bella's face though...

He was sure it was the closest a vampire had ever come to fainting.

It swiftly transitioned to pain when Bella's attempt to lunge at him in a crushing hug was misconstrued as an attack. She stopped when Jasper's knees bent in a half crouch and a warning growl rolled off his lips. It was echoed by a more feminine growl from the short, pixie-like vampire hovering in the background.

Bella choked back a sob as Peter stepped in-between them, his hands held in a placating gesture. "Calm down, Major. We ain't here to start a fight."

Jasper tore his eyes away from the unknown vampire whose emotions he couldn't seem to get a lock on. Other then the overwhelming burst of love when she had first met his eyes, there was nothing now. A blank slate. Still keeping his guard up, he eyed Peter with a hard, semi-curious gaze. "Why are you here then?"

He stepped back to Bella's side, with Charlotte flanking his other. "_We_ need to talk," he replied, putting extra emphasis on the we as he swung his arms gently around Bella's shoulders. "And you need to listen."

Casting a glance over his shoulder at the Cullen patriarch who had joined Alice in the background he returned his nod with one of his own. Sending a wave of reassurance to his wife, Jasper stepped to the side and reluctantly let the three pass.

**-oo-**

The awkward, skeptical silence in the spacious living room was deafening.

Peter allowed himself a brief moment of grim humor. '_Well this is certainly familiar_.'

**-oo-**

Bella had just finished her story, one she found herself editing a great deal. She had been hoping to tell this to only Jasper. There were just some things these strangers didn't need to know. And considering the way the petite vampire that was draped in Jasper's lap kept glaring at her, things they might not be able to handle.

Bella couldn't take it anymore. The mixture of furious, pitied and confused eyes on her were slowly driving her mad, she just wanted to talk to Jasper. Alone. She lifted her eyes from the examination of the obviously _very_ expensive carpet and locked them with Jasper's once more. His were the eyes of disgruntled confusion. Bella sucked in an unneeded breath, it was now or never.

"I was hoping I could speak with you alone, Jasper."

"No!" Alice snarled.

"Just for a few minutes, please?" She attempted a smile in Jasper's direction. "It's been almost 140 years, surely you could spare a few moments?"

Bella couldn't decide what hurt more, the pained unwillingness on his face, or him wrapping Alice up in arms, whispering his assurances and affections to her when he finally agreed. She was forced to look away when they shared a loving kiss.

His gaze hardened when he turned towards her. "Ten minutes," he offered. While it was clear she had been hurt by his brusqueness, it frustrated him that he couldn't feel anything from her. If she hadn't sprung this... revelation on him, he'd almost be tempted to tell her to stick around so he could explore it.

"Come," he ordered, before flitting out the balcony entrance.

Bella made to follow, only to find herself stopped by Peter's hand lightly grasping her arm. "Will you tell him about..." he spoke softly.

Bella smiled sadly, as her gaze drifted to a fuming Alice. "No. Not now." Exchanging one last glance with him and Charlotte, she flitted out the door after Jasper.

**-oo-**

The silence of the glen Jasper had led them to, lengthened until it became uncomfortable. Bella attempted to break it by telling Jasper a few stories about his life. She was desperate to convince him that she was telling the truth. She needed him to remember.

While he was thankful to have some insight into his human days, he felt himself growing irritated. How was it fair that this... stranger knew more about his life then he did? That she had memories of him that he wasn't even sure he liked her having. He finally held his hand up to silence her.

"I don't think you're lying to me. I've been getting fuzzy pieces of memories ever since I opened the door to you." She looked so hopeful, he almost grimaced at what he said next. "But, I don't know what you want me to tell you."

The smile dropped from Bella's lips as she turned away. "I had just hoped that you would still... we could... that you still wanted me," she finished with a whisper.

Jasper closed his eyes. "I won't deny that I feel," he searched for the right word and came up empty, "something for you, but those feelings are entwined in memories, memories that are very hazy. What we had was a long time ago. Neither of us are the same person anymore."

He could feel her desperation. "But we are, we could be."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I love Alice, she is my wife. I..." for a minute he stumbled over his words. "I choose her," he finished firmly.

The waves of despair that came off her almost knocked him on his back and for a moment it was on the tip of his tongue to take back everything he had just said. He frowned at the thought before coming back to himself when her emotions suddenly went blank again.

"I understand." She stood gracefully and waited for him to do the same. Looking over the still forest, she allowed a soft smile to settle on her lips. "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, to be loved like you deserved to be. I'm just sorry I couldn't be the one to give you those things." She turned and stepped closer to him. "But I'm glad you found someone who could. Always remember, you're worth it." She leaned in to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Jasper's hands clenched. For so long he had felt like the odd man out in his family. Worthless every time he struggled with his thirst. Every time he failed. He didn't know how desperately he needed to hear those words from someone. A small part of him, which he struggled to ignore, couldn't help but wonder why none of his family members, why his _wife,_ had never said these words to him.

He felt confused as her soothing scent surrounded him and more blurry memories attempted to surface. He forcefully pushed them back with a subtle shake of his head. He was tempted to shake her, demand to know why she made him feel things that he should only feel with Alice, where she got the right to mess with a life it had taken him years to grow comfortable with, but he kept silent and still.

Almost as if sensing the direction his thoughts had gone, Bella stepped back quickly and bowed her head. The silence between them lengthened and grew awkward.

Bella knew their time was quickly coming to an end. "Go back to your family, Jasper. I know you're missing them," she paused, "missing her."

He couldn't help but be curious. "What about you?"

She forced a chuckle. "Don't you worry about me. Got this far didn't I? If anything, my mamma raised me stubborn and strong."

'_I remember.'_ He wanted to say, but found himself biting his tongue again. He was determined to leave his past in the past. "Take care of yourself," he offered awkwardly instead.

She nodded. "You too."

He gave her one last long look before turning and beginning his trek home. He was sure he felt secure in the choice he had made, so why didn't his heart feel right? His conscience clear? He fought against the temptation to turn back when her final whispered words reached his ears.

"I'll always love you, Cowboy."

**-oo-**

Minutes, or possibly hours later, Peter and Charlotte broke through the trees to find Bella still looking off in the distance, towards the Cullen's house, almost as if waiting for Jasper to come back.

They didn't know whether to tell her about the happy reunion that had taken place between Jasper and Alice. Unshed tears and kisses were exchanged between the two as he whispered, "I'll always choose you," to her.

The decision was taken from them when Bella turned with a pained smile, briefly saying, "I know. He chose her," before falling silent again.

They moved to embrace her, but stopped when she gave a slight shake of her head.

"It's alright. It was silly of me to expect him to wait this long for me," Her voice grew hushed and the two had to strain to hear her, "even if I waited for him."

She gave one final look to her surroundings before seemingly coming to a decision. "It's time for that other favour, Peter." She withdrew a small, thin square from an inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to him.

Peter glanced at it. It was an old, weathered photograph of a farmhouse. "Is this..."

Bella nodded. "It is, or was,... the house Jasper's parents built for us as a wedding present." She grew quiet as she got lost in a memory. "It doesn't look like that anymore though. Time was harder on it then it was on me. The address is written on the back. I need you to meet me there in three days."

"Bella... I... don't..."

"You promised, Peter."

He looked away, his features hardened. "Fine. I'll be there," he forced through clenched teeth.

Charlotte placed a hand on his tense shoulder. "_We'll_ be there," she promised.

"Thank you," Bella's gratitude was carried on the wind. She was already gone.

**-oo-**

When they arrived, they walked cautiously around the ruins of the once beautiful house, eying what was left of its foundation and attempting to recreate the image in the old photograph. They found Bella in the backyard, standing by a tall oak, fingers gently tracing the 'J & B Forever' carved into its proud trunk.

Peter and Charlotte approached her hesitantly, horrified eyes noticing the pile of wood off to the side. The cloying smell of gasoline hung heavily in the humid air.

Bella made no effort to acknowledge their presence, now tracing over the heart that surrounded the letters. "This was our tree. We had our first date under this tree, a picnic. Jasper was so nervous, he spilled juice down the front of his shirt." She chuckled at the memory. "It's where he eventually proposed, where we made love for the first time, where he promised me forever."

They gasped when Bella turned to face them; her eyes were dull and pitch black, not with thirst, but complete hopelessness. She was empty.

"You know, ever since we were first introduced as kids, all I ever wanted was to be Mrs. Jasper Whitlock. I used to tell anyone who'd listen, that he was gonna be mine." She smiled faintly and clasped tightly to the plain gold ring that hung from a chain on her neck. "And for a short while he was. I had everything I had ever hoped for-" she closed her eyes in an expression of pained ecstasy, "-and it was wonderful."

She turned back towards the woodpile; the hand that was gripping her necklace fell to the front pocket of her worn jeans. There was a faint rattle as she dug out a box of matches.

"He was my whole world. My only reason for existence after my parents died. Why I continued existing even after I was turned, even through the death of our child. When they came to my door to tell me the news of his death, I called them liars. I could still feel him," she clutched at the skin over her unbeating heart, "_here_. I knew he was still out there and I vowed to never stop looking until I found him. And now that I have and he..." she choked up, unable to continue.

Fumbling open the matchbox, her pale, slim fingers withdrew a single match and struck it against the coarse side. "I was lucky he even chose me the first time," she murmured. "I shoulda know I wouldn't be so lucky again."

She threw the match at the wood which instantly ignited with a crackling roar. She stared at the flames for a few long moments, mesmerized, before she spoke.

"Do you think vampires go to heaven?" She whispered softly. A hopeful tone entered her voice, "Do you think my baby will be there?"

Peter had never been one to cry, even after everything he had suffered with Maria, but he couldn't stop the venom from welling in his eyes. He'd never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"I don't know," he admitted. "It's something I've never really believed in," he paused, "but if there is, there is no way that someone with a soul as pure as yours wouldn't be guaranteed a first class ticket." He promised fiercely.

"You don't have to do this," Charlotte begged desperately. "You could stay with me and Peter, be a part of our family."

Bella shifted her head towards them with a soft smile. "You're sweet. But to live knowing that he's out there, that he's so close and I'll never be able to love him..." she paused and glance back at the carved initials, "I can't. He was all I had to live for, the only thing that kept me going. I'm so tired, Charlotte."

She slipped off the chain and cupped the ring in her hands. "At least I got to see you one last time, My Cowboy. Be happy." She murmured, giving it a gentle kiss.

She dangled the chain out to Peter. "Will you bury this under our tree when it's over? It just doesn't feel right to let it burn with me."

He hesitated to take a step forward. "Don't ask me to do this."

Bella gave a quick glance at the dancing flames, before flashing him a wry smile. "You know even if you don't, I'm still going to walk into that fire anyways. I was just hoping you'd spare me the extra agony."

Resignated, Peter nodded firmly and walked forward to take hold of the ring. Keeping his grip on her hand, he pulled her into a tight hug. Charlotte approached and embraced her other side. They stood silent for several long moments.

Charlotte was the first to step back, turning away with a harsh sob.

Bella brought her hands up to run her fingers through Peter's short, brown hair. "If Jasper asks, just tell him..." Both her voice and hand paused, as she considered her words. "... just tell him I went home."

Peter nodded into her neck, reluctantly letting Bella gently push him away.

There was a serene smile on her lips as she faced the tree. She wanted those carved letters, and the memories they brought to be the last thing she saw. "Forever, Jasper," she sighed.

With an agonized roar, Peter began ripping her apart; eyes clenched shut as the screeching metallic tears disrupted the otherwise still silence in the empty field. Why didn't he know? Why didn't the voices tell him?

Charlotte gently touched his shoulder when the last piece of Bella was thrown on the open flame. He whirled around with a feral snarl, eyes black, fingers curled into claws and covered in Bella's venom.

"It's okay, Petey," she soothed, running her fingers through his hair in the same manner Bella had, until his snarls faded into pained whimpers. "It's okay," she repeated. "It's over."

Together they turned back towards the fire, watching as the parts that had made up the most amazing and kind-hearted woman they had ever met burned. Her head was the last to go, never once losing its serene smile.

**-oo-**

None of the Cullen's were prepared for the moment, during a leisurely game of Scrabble, when Jasper's head snapped up, eyes pitch black and the loudest, most mournful roar was ripped from his mouth. It escalated quickly as he lost complete control of his gift, its power seemingly tripled in his suffering. His agony spreading out causing everyone in the house and within a ten mile radius to stop everything they were doing.

For many years afterwards, hundreds of mystified townsfolk would talk of the moment when they all, almost simultaneously, dropped to their knees as they were overcome with soul-wrenching grief and sobbed. All of them unknowingly mourning the death of Jasper's true mate, Isabella Marie Whitlock.

**The End**


End file.
